I got up this morning to watch one of the most awe-inspiring sights I have waited my whole life to see. Watching the moon slide into the shadow of the Earth as it sets, while the sun struggles to break into view in the east, has, I guess, done nothing more but make me appreciate just that much more how small we are in relation to the cosmos, the endless beauty of God's creation.
Man is finite. Our planet is finite in years. Our solar system is finite in its. In this, we share a common thread, and characteristics within the universe's laws themselves. The universe will not let us go unnoticed though, and will use our dusty remains to create new suns and planets, stars and galaxies. In some small way, it is the epitome of immortality.
This is the crux of my inner peace; this is why I don't fear death, for how can I? When I know I have been crafted out of stardust and love, and given the breath of life out of that stardust, nay, even that love. I have been given the gift of the written word; I have been given love, and far more than I deserve; I have been given the ability to appreciate the wonders of creation; I have been given the eyes to see (though blurry) just how wonderfully breathtaking all this is.
This is also why I wonder at human nature throughout history. Are we really so grossly naive as to believe that immortality should be best experienced within our bodies, our oh-so-fragile bodies, when our souls and our experience of life is what matters most? Who we love and how deeply we love them, how deeply we etch ourselves on each others' experience, how kind we are to others... How understanding we are of the fact that we're only here for such a short time, and to treat others as well as we can, and try to understand them and their struggles? This is our charge and our gift, though it seems more a burden sometimes. It isn't an easy task, but it's one I take to heart.
I saw a meteor shoot across the moon as it was eclipsed, and I wondered who it was a sign for; whether it was a sign for anyone. I'm so lucky to be alive, so lucky to have the people in my life that I do, and I think I'm even lucky to appreciate just how insignificant I am in the larger scheme of it all. The universe is more vast than I can truly appreciate, but I can truly appreciate that I don't have to know all about it to know that much.
